Now Serving Comfort Foods: Always in fashion for holidays, dinner parties, and break-ups.

Comfort Foods have received little praise these past few years. However, people are beginning to find, err… comfort again in such foods and recipes, allowing themselves a bit of nostalgia with their decadence. These kitchen delights are largely considered the traditional foods of the American cuisine.

The epitome of home cooking, these foods are usually:

Hearty

Tasty

Diverse

A reminder of our childhood

Usually not considered gourmet

Easily prepared

Since there is a personal aspect to what each of us finds comforting, the particulars can change depending on what region, age, gender, and even ethnicity you are, which is why comfort foods are bit tricky to pinpoint definitively, but we’ll try.

Some classic examples are:

Apple Pie

Chicken Soup

Fried Chicken

Marconi & Cheese

Chili

Spaghetti

Tomato Soup

Grilled Cheese

The list goes on, but these give you an idea of what constitutes American comfort foods, and how simple they can be. Sometimes the best foods in life are the easiest to find ingredients for and whip up. A personal favorite of mine is Buttermilk Pie. Even before bighting down, the aroma that wafts off of it immediately sends me back to my childhood.

In a large bowl, combine mix with butter, buttermilk, and eggs; stir until well blended.

Pour mixture into pie crust and place on a 17x11x1 baking sheet.

Bake 1 hour or until golden brown. Allow pie to cool completely before slicing. Pie will settle as it cools.

Serves 8

Bake Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 unbaked pie crust

1 Homemade Gourmet® Grandma’s Buttermilk Pie Mix

½ stick butter or margarine, melted

½ cup buttermilk

3 eggs

Buttermilk Pie is a hearty dish, but one that is extremely tasty, will make your mouth water every time, and it’ll put a smile on your face. If you’re worried about the “Buttermilk” being a taste-factor, do not fret, there isn’t even the slightest hint of buttermilk taste. It’ll be sweet, thick, and buttery. A truly Southern tradition.

We suggest these occasions for serving a Buttermilk Pie:

Holiday get-togethers (primarily Thanksgiving)

Friend’s dinner party

Child or relative is visiting

Baby shower

Baked goods fundraiser

A bad breakup

Everyone has their own comfort food that is in some way personal to them. The point is to share these; sharing an experience, a personal story, can be very rewarding, and helps weave together that American narrative in which we play a part.